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Automotive cabin air filters have become increasingly popular as automotive manufacturers recognize the need to provide vehicle occupants with a more comfortable driving experience. Cabin air filters which reduce particulates (e.g. dust, pollen) have been standard on many European models since the late 1980's and have recently become available on several vehicles produced by Ford Motor Company in North America. Market research (focus panels and customer surveys) has shown that consumers expect cabin air filters to reduce both particulates and odors/gases and as a result, future vehicles will offer systems which address both. Test methods and standardized test codes for evaluating these types of filters are currently being drafted. Current methods for testing such gas/odor filters call for part-per-million challenge levels for reasons of analytical simplicity and test speed.

This paper describes the current state of technology for evaluating gas removal filters designed for cabin air filtration. Many automobile manufacturers are aware of the importance of a filtration system to improve cabin air quality. This can be seen by the increasing number of vehicles being produced with such systems in Europe and Japan. The air in the interior of a vehicle contains particulate and gaseous pollutants such as dust, pollen, soot, tobacco smoke, hydrocarbons, oxides of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen (e.g., CO, SO2, NO2), and ozone. To effectively reduce the level of particulate matter entering the vehicle's ventilation system, filters using electrostatically charged media have become the industry standard due to their combination of high particle capture efficiencies, low pressure drop and long life. In combination with these, filters for effectively removing gaseous pollutants are also being developed.